October 11, 2012, is the first observance of the U.N.’s International Day of the Girl and will be a celebration of more than a year of advocacy and public policy activism by girls across the United States.

Wondering what International Day of the Girl is all about?  It is the first annual celebration promoting rights and equality for girls everywhere in the world. As Hillary Clinton said: “I believe that the rights of women and girls is the unfinished business of the 21st century.”

Read more…

What is it like for girls and women living in Kenya?

I became interested in the lives of girls and women in Kenya, when I connected with Mary on Facebook.  When I asked her what life is like there, she said:

“Honestly it’s not a walk in the park. In the north, due to poverty women fully depend on men – leading to men having power over them.  Girls are forced to drop out of school to be circumcised then married off at 14 yrs or even below that. What can their mothers do?  Nothing, for fear of being divorced or worse than that.  It becomes a never ending cycle.  Down south its different yes, women and girls are educated but few of them hold high positions in the society or leadership.” Mary Chege

Her response broke my heart.  Girls and women lack control over their own bodies and circumstances in so many parts of the world. Increased access to education is one way girls and women are able to earn higher incomes and become more independent.

Institutions such as Kiriri Women’s University of Science and Technology prepare women to enter the workforce with special skills. In Kenya, only 12% of the students in math and science are women. In mixed gender settings, women may feel intimidated, but in all female setting, women are able to gain confidence, more freely express themselves, and excel in their fields.  The university also offers management training and preparation for working in environments where the women graduates may face discrimination. http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Kenyan-Womens-University-Prepares-Students-to-Compete-in-a-Male-Dominated-World-117467493.html

There are several organizations working to better conditions in Kenya, including One Home Many Hopes and Womankindkenya.

According to One Home Many Hopes: Here are the problems Read more…

…if you’re a woman and you’re young, or if you’re a woman and you’re African American or Hispanic and maybe also low-income, you’re more likely to display very low levels of financial knowledge. To have a positive effect, financial education should be implemented in the early stages of a young girl’s life.

Dr. Annamaria Lusardi, Dartmouth Economics Professor

Because you are young or low income or a woman of color – are you automatically destined to have a poor financial future? Sheena Williams of SheWill doesn’t think so. SheWill is located in North Atlanta.  Their programs teach fundamental financial skills such as saving, budgeting, and working. SheWill also provides in-depth literature that gives a basis for understanding credit cards, consumer debt, credit reports, comparison-shopping and career related empowerment tactics.

Sheena says “as an adolescent girl, my father would always reiterate the importance of being responsible with money. I did not understand what that meant nor was I educated on the importance of it. Due to financial illiteracy, I made irresponsible financial decisions and accumulated unnecessary debt. I bless God for provision, because my education and experiences attributed to the development of SheWill Inc. to help young girls avoid mistakes that could potentially paralyze their future endeavors.”

So many women feel stuck in unhealthy relationships because they don’t earn enough money or possess the skills to increase their income and their independence.  Organizations like SheWill provide the support for women to gain financial stability and the ability to stand on their own financially.

SheWill was birthed in 2010. The organization name, SheWill, is an acronym derived from the founder’s name Sheena Williams and it is a declaration that SHE WILL possess the necessary skills to become whatever her heart desires.

Take a look at what SheWill does on Twitter http://twitter.com/SheWill_inc and on FB at http://www.facebook.com/SheWillinc.   Website coming at the end of December:    SheWill is the newest swagger partners – working together to empower girls and women.

Do you know that there are 50 million 12 year old girls living in poverty? That many of them will be given in arranged marriage, without their consent by the time they are 14 years old?  Many of these girls will be pregnant by the time they are 15 and pregnancy is the leading cause of death among girls 15-19 worldwide. These statistics might seem shocking and overwhelming.

The good news is that there an increasing number of organizations dedicated to doing something about this situation.  Girl Effect is one of those organizations.  They are working to spread the word about the problem and gather resources to do something about it.

According to the Girl Effect, when girls are able to delay marriage and finish their education, they contribute to the success of their families and they help reduce poverty in their countries.  Girl Effect says “women in poverty filter 90 percent of their incomes back into their families, in comparison to only 30 to 40 percent of men…”

Want to know more ? Take a look at this short piece – it will be sure to touch your heart. http://www.girleffect.org/learn/video/7